Bùth Bharraigh is now more than halfway to its crowdfunding target of £6,000 within days of the appeal launch.

At the time of writing, the appeal total stood at £3,247, with 19 days of the fundraising campaign left to run.

The online appeal will go towards the bid to buy and renovate the former Co-op building the community shop has rented for the past nine years.

Forty-seven people have donated so far, including Les Lauziere. Writing on the appeal page, Les said: “As bagpiper with Wilmington Police Pipes & Drums (NC, USA), I have proudly worn a kilt woven with the MacNeil of Barra tartan. The MacNeil family of NC in the USA has been an early and continuous supporter and benefactor of our police pipe band. Glad to be able to support your efforts!”

Bùth Bharraigh has been planning to buy its premises since 2017. While they have the funding to purchase the building, they need to raise extra cash to have architect plans updated, the renovation pricing revised, and to cover conveyancing fees.

Bùth Bharraigh is a social enterprise established in 2013 and has been successfully operating for the past decade.

They comment on the appeal page: “We are a community shop, route to market for local products and visitor information service for Barra and Vatersay. We are a sustainable business and put £10,000s back into the community each year through producer sales, accommodation finding service and our buying local policy. We employ four full-time staff and currently have 22 volunteers.”

The organisation has won multiple awards, including the 2022 Highlands and Islands Independent Food and Drink Retailer of the Year.